Mesut Ozil retires from football: Decoding his career stats
Mesut Ozil has retired from football at the age of 34. The former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Germany midfielder Ozil won nine trophies during his club career, including four FA Cups and the Spanish league title in 2012. He also won 92 caps for Germany and helped his side lift the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Here's more.
It has been an amazing journey, says Ozil
"It has been an amazing journey filled with unforgettable moments and emotions," Ozil said in a statement on Twitter. "I've had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years now and I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity." He said injuries were a part of his decision to retire immediately from professional football.
Thank you!
Ozil's Premier League numbers
Ozil spent most of his time at Arsenal. He made a solid impression in the Premier League. Ozil made 184 appearances, scoring 33 goals and making 54 assists. As per Opta, Ozil holds the Premier League record for most chances created in a season with 146 in 2015-16 (2003-04 onwards). He created 65 big chances and clocked 92 shots on target.
Unique records held by Ozil
As per Opta, across the 10 seasons spanning from 2008-09 to 2017-18, Ozil assisted 122 goals in Europe's top five leagues. H was only behind Lionel Messi (133). Cesc Fabregas (105), Cristiano Ronaldo, and Dimitri Payet (93 each) followed suit. Ozil created 10+ chances from open play in each of his three World Cup tournaments. Only four other players have done so since 1966.
His club career in numbers
Ozil started his career with Schalke in 2006-07, scoring once in 39 appearances. He moved to Werder Bremen next, scoring 17 times in 108 matches. He spent four seasons at Real Madrid, scoring 27 goals in 159 games. Ozil moved to Arsenal in 2013 and scored 44 times in 254 appearances. He played for Fenerbahce and Istanbul Basaksehir making 46 appearances overall (9 goals).
Ozil enjoyed success with Germany
Ozil made his international debut in 2009 and in the same year later, he won the European U21 Championship honor. Ozil was named Germany player of the year on five occasions. He was part of the side that reached the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, as well as winning the 2014 World Cup. Overall, he managed 23 goals for Germany.
Ozil won several trophies in his career
With Werder Bremen, Ozil won DFB-Pokal in 2008-09. During his time in Spain, Ozil won the league honor (La Liga) in 2011-12. He won the Copa del Rey in 2010-11, and the Spanish Super Cup in 2012. With Arsenal, he won four FA Cup honors. besides one FA Community Shield. Ozil also reached four cup finals in his club career.
Ozil was an assists king
Ozil contributed 71 assists for Arsenal in all competitions since a £42.4m move from Real in the summer of 2013. At Real across 3 seasons, Ozil made a whopping 68 assists, including 53 in La Liga. He also made 30 assists for Werder Bremen, including 27 in the Bundesliga.
